Runaway Lover // Andy Leo

Chapter Fourteen

I pace back and forth in front of the door to the meeting room. I clench and unclench my fists, trying to make my brain make sense of the last hour. Everything jumbles up in my mind, whirling around like a hurricane.

Andy, Brandon, Megan, Brent, Benn, David and Hayden were taken by scarecrows. I got away, thanks to Andy - and now I'm trying to figure out what the hell to do to get them back. My heart beats wildly in my chest. A girl walks past me with silver hair tied up into a tight ponytail - someone I have seen Megan talking to previously.

"H-Hey! Uh..." I trail off, realising that I don't know her name.

"Ashley." She smiles at me.

"Ashley. I really don't know what I'm supposed to do." I start to ramble off everything that was spinning around in my mind at one hundred miles a minute, and by the end of my spiel I realise that somewhere along the lines I had begun to cry. I wipe the tears from my face and take a shaky breath.

"Wait, what? They were taken?" I nod, a fresh wave of tears pouring down my face. "Shit. Shit. Let me get everyone together - wait for us in there." She nods toward the meeting room before running off.

I walk into the room and stand at the foot of the table - where Andy usually stands. I use the time while Ashley is away to gather myself and start to think of a plan as to how to get them back. Ten minutes later she comes back in with around twenty other people who all sit at or stand around the table.

"We're generally Andy's go-to when none of the other leaders are about." Ashley stands beside me at the foot of the table. "Right, losers!" She shouts, and everyone quickly falls into silence. "We have a situation. Sam can explain the most of it, and you lot are going to listen. Whether you like it or not, she's above us, and at the moment is the most senior person here. So grow a pair and listen." She smiles at me sweetly before sitting down in the only spare seat left.

I take a deep breath before I start to speak. "Right. Andy, Megan, Brandon, Brent, Benn, Hayden and Dave have been taken by the Empire. We were jumped by scarecrows, and Andy helped me escape before they were dragged off. Now I know exactly where the Empire'll be holding them, and it won't be easy to get into. They keep any Runaway worth anything in a high-security prison-like building that's about a block away from the Raven's den. It is, however, surrounded by conveniently tall and abandoned buildings in an attempt to disguise itself - which means we can have a couple Snipers take out the guards outside so the rest of us can take the place." I pause and look around, trying to gauge whether or not everyone thinks I've gone crazy.

I go through the rest of my plan carefully, and end up being surprised at how much respect I get from them - considering that pretty much everyone either knows me as 'comatose' (thanks to Dave) or as 'Andy's new thing'. By the end of the meeting we have just about everything planned, from weapons, positions and the day that we're going to get them - in two night's time.

After the meeting I go up to Andy and I's room and collapse into the bed. I breathe in the familiar scent, and force the tears that well up in my eyes to stay at bay.

"Hey, Sam?" I look up quickly, not realising that someone had come into the room. I see Ashley stood in the doorway and smile at her. "You know that the leaders are elected by everyone else, right?" I shake my head and sit up as she walks over. "Well, they are. We just had a vote, and now I have to give you this."

She holds out a skull cloth in her hand, and I stare at it in amazement. I take it with a shaky hand, feeling the smooth fabric as a connection to everyone that had been taken.

"Thank you." I barely get the words out, still in shock.

"Don't sweat it. Everyone secretly loves you - don't tell Megan than though. She'll hang us all personally." I can't help but laugh at the comment, even though I feel guilty about it. "Hey, they're going to be fine. They can all hold their own until we get there."

I know that I should feel comfort in her words, but instead they terrify me more than I already was.